In the field of tufting carpets, it has been known to tuft carpets having spaced rows of loop pile and cut pile tufts, including the formation of loop pile and cut pile tufts in the same longitudinal tuft rows of the carpets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,953 discloses an apparatus and method for tufting spaced rows of loop pile and cut pile tufts formed in a backing material using a multi-needle tufting machine having two transverse rows of needles with each row cooperating with a series of loop pile loopers or cut pile hooks. Still further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,224,434 and 5,499,588 disclose methods and apparatus for producing cut pile and loop pile tufts in the same longitudinal rows of tufting and which further provide for the shifting of the needle bars carrying spaced rows of needles to provide enhanced pattern effects such as the formation of cut and loop pile tufts in the same tuft rows.
For higher or finer gauge tufting machines, i.e., 5/32- 1/16 gauge machines, however, as the spacing between the needles is narrowed for forming finer gauge carpets, problems exist whereby the cut pile hooks can engage the previously formed loop pile tufts, potentially resulting in the cutting or pulling of such tufts, creating defects in the carpet. Additionally, there are increasing demands for the capability of tufting machines to produce carpets with wider varieties of pattern designs and effects, including at finer gauges.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a method and system of forming cut pile and loop pile tufts in a backing material to form patterned carpets that addresses the foregoing related and unrelated problems in the art.